"In the Hall of the Mountain King" was written for Henrik Ibsen's surreal 1876 play Peer Gynt. Chronicling the guilt-wracked wanderings of its Bohemian anti-hero from the Norwegian mountains to the North African desert and back again, Peer Gynt includes a cameo appearance by Satan, a lot of binge drinking, and several dozen trolls. The play is described by one critic as infused with "[t]he irony of isolated individuals in a mass society," and by Wikipedia as "the story of a life based on procrastination and avoidance." Worlds away from Rogers and Hammerstein, that's for sure.

In the play, "Hall of the Mountain King" plays when Peer enters--you guessed it!--the main hall of the #1 troll in charge. There are lyrics in Norwegian in which various trolls discuss comparative methods for dismembering, cooking, and eating Peer--these are usually left out of modern orchestral performances for what should be obvious reasons. The composer described it as "something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and 'to-thyself-be-enough-ness' that I can't bear to hear it."

With this video, the composition has been transformed into something that so reeks of degreaser, side-draft carburetors, and Car Lust that you can't help but love it.

Oh my goodness, I don't think I have enjoyed two minutes and twenty seconds as much in my life in a long time--I love Grieg, and I love old Triumphs, and I am a frustrated untalented mechanic who would love to be able to tear down and rebuild and old engine some day. Brilliant!